Rescue
by FuryEnder
Summary: This story follows Nova Clan, a group of closely tied friends. It focuses in on Nyx and Banshee, and their inseparable bond. But what happens when a mission goes wrong? Bad choices are made, Tenno are killed, and the survival of Nova Clan is uncertain.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe**

**Author's Note: This is my first story, and I think I did an okay job. Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

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Rescue

Chapter One

Excalibur extended a hand down towards Nyx. She grabbed it, and with some difficulty hauled herself up onto the platform.

"Come on Nyx, hurry up!" Ash called from a platform above her.

"Shut up," Nyx grunted as she climbed up onto the platform where Ash was standing, "You'll find it's not so easy being-" Suddenly, shouts and the sound of running feet were heard, and they seemed to be getting closer.

"Not this again." Excalibur groaned as he drew his Mk1-Braton.

Nyx and Ash drew their weapons as well, and pointed it at the long corridor in front of them. As the first Grineer grunt came into view, the fight began. Ash vanished, and reappeared, slashing the unfortunate grunt a few meters away in half. More came, and Excalibur ran into the midst as well. Confusion spread quickly, as it's not easy keeping order when the enemy is right in the middle of everyone. Somewhere, a smoke grenade went off. Nyx held her weapon uncertainly towards the smoke. Gunshots and the sound of swords slashing could still be heard.

Banshee suddenly appeared at Nyx's side, looking into the smoke. She knelt down, pressing her palm against the cold metal floor. Nyx could feel the vibrations coming from Banshee's palms. She must be sending out sound waves to see where everyone is at, she thought. Banshee then stood up, raised her bow, and began rapidly firing into the confusion. Nyx could hear the thud of Banshee's arrows against Grineer grunts. Eventually, the smoke cleared, and the result of the battle revealed itself.

Grineer grunts lay in heaps, some even impaled against the walls. Only Ash remained standing. He was obviously exhausted, and multiple bullet wounds could be seen. He looked up at them, grinned and said, "You're not much of a help, Nyx." He then promptly collapsed. Nyx ran towards the fallen Ash. She knelt down and placed her hand on Ashe's chest, where his heart was. Nyx checked for heartbeat, and sighed in relief as she felt it. It was unsteady and weak, but Nyx knew enough from Trinity to know he's going to be alright.

"We have to get to extraction. Ash needs medical attention," Nyx looked up at Banshee, "I'm sorry but we're going to have to abort the mission."

Banshee shook her head, and replied, "Excalibur."

Her voice was odd, yet strangely beautiful. It was as if all the beautiful sounds of nature, such as leaves falling and snow crunching underfoot all sound at once in such a way that causes words to form.

Nyx was mesmerized, she had never heard Banshee speak before. Sure, Banshee was a wielder of sound, but Nyx never imagined how beautiful simple sounds could be. Of course, she was only mesmerized until she processed that one word.

Excalibur.

Nyx remembered teaming up with Ash and Frost to save Excalibur. She remembered how the Lotus had specifically told them that this Warframe must not die. She remembered how she hated to be separated from Banshee, how she insisted that Banshee came along. And, Nyx remembered why Banshee had become her best friend in the first place...

At the time, Nyx was still in her cryopod. The Lotus had too many problems, and not enough Warframes to complete them. The Lotus had abandoned Nyx, leaving her to die. Of course, Nyx knew that what the Lotus had done was right. It takes too long to defend a cryopod, and too many Warframes to do it. Besides, there were groups of cryopods clustered together to be defended, and Nyx's cryopod was alone.

Banshee had come across the cryopod in one of her missions. She was on her way to extraction, and just happened to stumble across it. She was ordered not to defend it against the incoming Grineer assault team. But, Banshee had disobeyed that order. She had stayed and held her ground, against the never ending onslaught of infantry until Lotus's representative decided that losing two Tenno isn't going to please the Lotus. Extraction came quickly, and Nyx was freed from her cryopod. Since then, Nyx and Banshee had become close friends.

Nyx shook her head. Too many flashbacks, she thought, too many. But she couldn't help appreciating her friend every time she looked at her. But now was not the time to get sappy. Nyx looked around at the bodies, but saw not any trace of Excalibur. The only way was to continue deeper into the ship.

"Banshee, come on we need to find Excalibur." Nyx motioned further down the corridor. Banshee shook her head and pointed at Ash. "We could call extraction for him, but right now we need to find 'Cal." Nyx stated.

Banshee continued to shake her head, and motioned for Nyx to go. As if to reinforce her point, she set down her bow and sat down.

"Fine, I'll go and you'll stay until Ash gets extracted. Then, you come and find me? Deal?" Nyx sounded unhappy, but she knew going alone was probably for the best right now.

Banshee nodded, and replied, "Good luck."

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**I hope you enjoyed this! The next chapter should be out soon! :3**

**-FuryEnder**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe**

**Author's Note: Yet another chapter! Sorry this one was slightly shorter than the first! But as always, enjoy!**

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Rescue

Chapter 2

Nyx ran out of ammo. Again. The Grineer seemed like bees after you upset them-they never stop coming. She stepped through a doorway, and carefully made her way through the hall. She had no ammo or energy. I'm not meant for stealth, but no reason to get myself killed, Nyx thought.

"Wait, hold on. What the hell are you doing?" Mia's voice suddenly and loudly asked.

"I'm rescuing Excalibur." Nyx replied calmly as she peeked around a corner.

"All _alone_?You need to make your way to extraction, _right now_." Mia hissed.

"Oh and what would become of Excalibur?" Nyx shot back, as she dispatched a Grineer grunt with her Skana.

"Well, you're certainly not going to rescue him alone. We can get another squad to do that. You do realize the rest of your clan is on this ship, yes?"

"Shut up." Nyx only trusted herself to do the job. She couldn't explain why, but the thought of letting someone else handle it made her feel useless.

"You get your ass to extraction or-"Nyx muted her speakers, she didn't want to hear any more coming from Mia.

Nyx hacked into a terminal to open a door. She stepped back from the console, and stepped through the door. The sight of multiple dead Grineer struck her. Nyx surveyed the room, and there it was. It was a broken stasis chamber. Stasis chambers were used to immobilize prisoners. It was mainly used for important or dangerous prisoners. There were multiple stasis chamber types, this one being an electromagnetic field generator. The generator would interfere with the Tenno armor, and shut down all functions…including moving. Was this the work of Excalibur, Nyx thought? She couldn't know for sure.

Nyx unmuted Mia, and prepared herself for the barrage of insults that was bound to come through.

"YOU BITCH, YOU MUTED ME!" Mia shouted.

"Mia…"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO THAT!" Mia ranted on.

"Mia…"

"I'M GOING TO GET YOU DEMOTED FOR DISRESPECTING A SUPERIOR!"

"Mia!"

"YOU'RE GOING TO GET THE EXTRACTION AND-"

"MIA DAMMNIT!"

"WHAT?"

"I need your help."

"OH SO QUEEN BITCH DECIDED SHE FINALLY NEEDED MY HELP?"

"YES AND THIS INVOLVES EXCALIBUR!" Nyx shouted back in desperation.

"FINE. But we're going to talk when you get back… just YOU and ME." Mia finally seemed to calm down a little bit.

"How do I confirm that the bodies I see are indeed caused by Excalibur?"

"Check their eyes…Bitch."

Nyx rolled her eyes, Mia can be SO sensitive sometimes, she thought. But, she listened to Mia. Nyx moved over to one of the Grineer. This one was an Elite Lancer. She bashed his helmet, creating a hole through which she can see through. His eyes were glazed, as expected when one dies. But oddly, they seemed to glow with a faint silver aura.

"Erm, his eyes are glowing." Nyx told Mia.

"Then, it's definitely Excalibur. The glow indicates that he used Radial Blind. You seem to be on the right track." Mia replied back confidently, and a bit smugly.

"The problem is that he's gone though. The stasis chamber was breached, somehow." Nyx glanced around the room again, this time noticing blood stains on the metal floor leading down yet another corridor. "I think I know where he's going." Nyx strolled to the corridor entrance, and peered down it. It was mostly dark, aside from the occasional lit part.

"I'm sending backup to your location. Since I can't get you to come to extraction, then I guess I'll just have to support you. You're still a pompous bitch, though." Mia sneered.

"Thanks, but-"Nyx's voice was cut off by gunfire and all that was left was static.

"Nyx?" Mia asked uncertainly. There was no response.

She glanced at the vital readings, and found Nyx's. She skimmed through the earlier ones, and her eyes finally landed on the last few entries.

Shield is at 200.

Shield is at 136.

Shield is at 90.

Shield is at 40.

Shield depleted. Recommended action: Immediate withdrawal from combat.

Health at 390.

Health at 200.

Error: Catastrophic system failure. Recommended action: Establish communication with Tenno.

Vital signals offline: Tenno suspected dead or faulty vital signal equipment.

"Shit."

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**CLIFF HANGER ALERT!** **Haha, thanks for reading, reviews are greatly appreciated, and the next chapter should be out soon! :3**

**-FuryEnder**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe**

**Author's Note: Chapter 3 is finally here! WOOT! Enjoy! :3**

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Chapter 3

Rescue

Mia switched back and forth, console to console, frantically searching for any vital signs from Nyx. She finally switched to a 3D holographical map of the ship. She could see all the points of the Tenno on the ship... Except for Excalibur and Nyx.

"Computer, pinpoint possible locations for Nyx." Mia then switched back to a console, scanning the screen for signs of Nyx.

"Mia-" A voice sounded on the speaker, nearly making Mia scream and jump.

"What is it?" Mia replied annoyed. She looked at the console to the far right. Apparently this is Saryn speaking, she thought.

"The ship suddenly rocked, could you tell me why?" Mia could hear sounds of gunfire and explosions in the background.

Wait, the ship rocked, Mia thought? She glanced around the consoles, and then back at the holographic image of the ship. Multiple ships were latching onto the side of the Grineer vessel. Oh no, she thought, these were Corpus ships. There were enough Corpus ships to be an entire fleet. The Corpus ships also had an strange attribute, they had large orange streaks painted on the side.

"Computer, what are these ships?" Mia spoke softly, she already knew what they were.

"These ships are of Corpus origin. There are currently 6 types of Corpus vessels in use. These are the Elite Corpus vessels. Immediate action should be to extract all Tenno." The computer replied.

"Uhh Mia, what the hell is going on?" Saryn asked.

"Ignore previous objective, move to extraction." Mia said calmly, but her insides were churning with worry.

"Why the hell would we do that?" Saryn asked with a hint of irritation.

"Just do it."

"It's completely against protocol. Tenno do not give up."

"Special case here, get to extraction."

"That's complete b-" Mia heard lasers shooting in the background, and someone screaming. Wait, was that Saryn, she thought?

"Mia what the HELL is going on?" Saryn's voice came back on, and Mia could tell that she was hurt.

"Corpus boarding vessel, Elite Corpus, that is. Get to extraction."

"...Oh GOD. Rhino get back, don't activate iron skin. NO! RHINO!" Saryn's voice cried out on the speaker.

There was silence, then gunfire and lasers, then silence again. Crying could be heard, and someone consoling them.

"Tenno... D... Down." Saryn then broke down sobbing.

"Move to extraction." Mia spoke softly, almost in a whisper. She knew the relationship that Saryn and Rhino had. She knew that they were close, that they were inseparable.

"Copy that." Loki's voice sounded...sad.

Mia turned to a console.

She entered Rhino's military folder:

Name: John Sewthar

Tenno: Rhino

Bio: Rhino was rescued as of an unknown date, no memories of anything but his name. He is credited with the Medal of Valuableness, Medal of Courage, and the Venthsurth Award.

Status: Still in Service

Death: Has not died.

Mia wiped away tears, and edited the folder:

Name: John Sewthar

Tenno: Rhino

Bio: Rhino was rescued as of an unknown date, no memories of anything but his name. He is credited with the Medal of Valuableness, Medal of Courage, and the Venthsurth Award. He died in action.

Status: KIA

Death:

She let the computer decide the last one. A small ring sounded, and she looked back at it:

Name: John Sewthar

Tenno: Rhino

Bio: Rhino was rescued as of an unknown date, no memories of anything but his name. He is credited with the Medal of Valuableness, Medal of Courage, and the Venthsurth Award. He died in action.

Status: KIA

Death: Died June 15. Operator error.

Tears formed in Mia's eyes.

"Saryn, Loki, and Ember extracted. Error, Rhino missing." The computer's voice said.

Tears began to fall.

"Rhino's vital signals are offline. Error."

Mia began to sob.

"Operator wanted for questioning."

Mia screamed, and covered her ears.

"Why," She sobbed. "Why?"

Blackness engulfed her.

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**Oh mah Gawd.**

**Damn, I swear these chapters are getting shorter and shorter, but with more dialogue. I promise the next chapter will be 1000+ words. :3**

**-FuryEnder**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe.**

**A/N: As promised, 1000+ words. Enjoy!**

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Chapter 4

Rescue

The ship suddenly rocked violently. Banshee was thrown against a wall. Lockers and crates broke from their bonds and slid toward her. She moved quickly from side to side, dodging them. As quickly as it began, it stopped. Banshee looked around for Ash. She then placed her hand on the ground, searching for any potent vibrations.

"MMF." A muffled sound was heard, and Banshee pinpointed its location.

The source was under a pile of crates that resembled a castle. Banshee shook her head, wondering how she knew what a castle looked like. She began to lift crates one by one and throw them to the side. A few crates later, she could see some of the Tenno armor exposed. When she cleared away the pile of crates, she saw Ash in a crumpled state.

"Damnit Banshee, couldn't you have-" Ash went into a fit of coughing. "-been faster?"

Banshee shook her head, smiling under her helmet. She grabbed Ash's body, and hauled him back to the corner they were at. Suddenly, the sound of running feet and metal against metal could be heard. Banshee estimated the sound to be 30 meters away, which caused her to worry. She had lost her Paris in the rocking of the ship, which meant all she had was her side arm and her Dual Zoren. That was far too little for far too many people.

As the first MOA ran into the room, Banshee activated silence on both her and Ash. She hoped they wouldn't look this way. More MOAS ran into the room, and continued through another door. The sound of people talking could now be heard, and Banshee knew they would find them. MOAS tend not to look around, but the Corpus Crewmen would.

Banshee glanced across the room, and then up at the lights. Wait, the lights, she thought! Banshee raised her side arm, and shot out the lights. One, two, three, four, all of them were down. Most of the room was quickly plunged into darkness, which caused the Corpus troops to mill around into confusion.

"Let's get out of here." She heard one say.

"Yeah... Let's go before it gets any creepier!"

The corpus crewmen and the MOAS filed out of the room, leaving Banshee and Ash alone.

"Smart." Ash whispered, coughing some more.

Banshee worriedly glanced around, where was the extraction team? They should have been here a while ago, she thought. She glanced at the time on her HUD, it was 8:35. It has been 43 minutes since Mia had ordered extraction.

"Freeze!" A voice jolted Banshee out of her thoughts. She identified the voice to be 3 meters away, in the same room, and facing her. Banshee activated silence once more, and started to sneak past the trooper.

"I SAID FREEZE!" A warning bullet ricocheted of the wall next to Banshee. More troopers ran down the hall, toward them. Banshee quickly calculated her chances, then Ash's, then hers and Ash's. She sighed, and walked out of the shadows, raising her hands up. The Corpus crewmen nodded at her obedience, and then motioned for her to get on her knees.

Then, Banshee suddenly leapt at him, slicing him in the chest with her Dual Zoren, and shooting the others with her pistol. Out of nowhere, a crewman ran towards her with an electric rod. Banshee tried to dodge him, but she was too slow. He jabbed the rod into her stomach, and she screamed as the lethal amount of electricity coursed through her, plunging the world into darkness.

Jeis

Jeis was not having a good day. First off, in the middle of sleeping, she was woken up and told she needed to go in for emergency medical extraction. Next off, her ship transporting her to the Grineer vessel was half an hour late. After that, she had arrived on the vessel in the middle of a heavy infantry squad. Lastly, now she was supposed to fend off Elite Corpus.

Damn, my life sucks, she thought. A laser beam whisked by her ear, and she quickly ducked. She moved down the hallway, pausing only to fire back shots at the Corpus. She arrived in a room. The room was dim as hell, as if the Grineer didn't want to spend any time fixing the lights. Half the room was dark, and the other half barely lit. This only made Jeis angrier than she already was.

I just had to pick Trinity, of all Warframes. She peered around the room. Okay, time to move in, she thought. She moved in stealthily, and managed to topple an entire stack of barrels. Running feet was soon heard, and also Jeis hissing obscenities. A Corpus crewman arrived in the room. He looked bewildered, as if toppling barrels were the most confusing thing ever. He began to wander around the room, and Jeis knew he would soon spot her. She quickly picked up a package from a barrel that split open, and threw it into the darkness.

"Freeze!"

Jeis froze up, thinking that he was speaking to her. But she soon relaxed as she saw that he was pointing his gun into the shadows. She tensed up again as he shot into the shadows. What's he shooting at, she wondered? Suddenly, a person emerged from the shadows. Not a person, she corrected herself, a Tenno. More Corpus crewman emerged, pointing their gun at the Tenno. She's a Banshee, Jeis thought. Suddenly, the Banshee leapt at the crewman. A frenzy of attacks from her miniature axes finished off him, and she turned her attention to the other troopers. A trooper emerged from the group, wielding a rod. The rod sparked with electricity. Jeis crouched, frozen in shock, as he proceeded to stab the Tenno with it.

A scream. A scream as beautiful and horrifying as… as… Jeis couldn't place the word. The scream didn't quite sound Tenno. It sounded… too beautiful to be in existence. Are all Banshees like that, she asked herself? Then, the Tenno sank to the floor, her head and body limp as she lay on the ground. Jeis was paralyzed. No… no… no no no no, she thought.

"No!" Jeis rushed forward, wielding her Cronus. She swiped left and right, blindly murdering the Tenno who hurt Banshee. She didn't even know her, but Banshee was Tenno.

Tenno stick together.

Tenno fight together.

Tenno are family.

Tenno stick together. They are the remains of what used to be a great and powerful race. They are alone, yet together in their effort to restore justice to this ruined system. Tenno fight together. There is strength in numbers. There is strength in creating bonds with each other. Tenno are family. They stick together no matter what, through thick and thin, through hell and back. They aren't afraid of anything, but losing each other. Even though they cannot remember their life before this, they do not cry and mourn. Instead, they create a new one. One that involves comradeship, courage, and the will to endure another day. For what use is there being alone, when there are others just like you?

Jeis knew this. She believed in this. She couldn't allow herself to watch a fellow Tenno die in battle. She knew there was honor in that death, but she… she couldn't let that happen.

Perhaps it was some memory of her past. Something buried in her subconsciousness. Something that she would never let go.

Banshee is comrade. Banshee is friend. Banshee is family

Tenno live by that, and they die by that.

No matter what.

No matter how high the cost.

That's why when Jeis sank to the floor, exhausted and injured, she knew it was worth it. Because she saved the life of Banshee. Because there isn't one thing in the world she'd rather do, than fight with her comrades.

Her friends.

Her family.

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**Tenno are family. They are the last of their race, so it just makes sense that they would stick together. Next chapter should be out soon! :3**

**-FuryEnder**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warframe**

**A/N: Here is yet again another chapter! Enjoy, and reviews are greatly appreciated! :3**

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Chapter 5

Rescue

Pain erupted from Nyx's chest as a kunai penetrated her armor. Blood squirted from the wound, spewing the scarlet liquid all across the cold metal floor. She shouted in pain, blackness swimming through her vision. Her hand clawed at her chest, trying to find the kunai. At last, she did, and desperately, she pulled it out. Nyx sank to the floor, her hand over the wound, trying to keep the blood in. She closed her eyes, focusing on stopping the blood. Her mind was clouded with pain, unable to help her register the fact that the kunai was thrown just recently, and her attacker will take this opportunity to finish her. Immediately, an emergency display popped open on her visor.

ALERT: Breach In Armor

ALERT: Dangerous Blood Loss

ALERT: Enemy Detected Nearby, Unknown Identity

Nyx had her eyes squeezed shut. She could not see her visor and the alerts. Another kunai flew across the room, this time embedding itself inside Nyx's thigh. She screamed, a high pitched wail that drowned out her pain, if only briefly. She grasped the kunai, and pulled it out, wailing once again. Blood spilled out onto the ground, painting the hardened steel in a crimson color.

ALERT: Breach In Armor

ALERT: Dangerous Blood Loss

ALERT: Enemy Detected Nearby, Unknown Identity

ALERT: Comm Line with Operator Destroyed

This time, an arrow whizzed across the room. The sharp, tempered point struck its target, Nyx's helmet. It made it all the way through the protective casing, stopping just from her face. Its tip opened like a flower, revealing a tube leading into the shaft of the arrow. A sweet scented odor filled her helmet.

ALERT: Breach In Armor

ALERT: Dangerous Blood Loss

ALERT: Enemy Detected Nearby, Unknown Identity

ALERT: Comm Line with Operator Destroyed

ALERT: Unknown Substance Inside Helmet

The sweet scented smell overwhelmed her. It drowned out all of her pain, and replaced it with bliss. She smiled, breathing in deeply. Sleepiness overwhelmed her. She longed to fall asleep, but some part of her mind screamed at her. It called her many names, berating her weakness. It was all in an attempt to make her stay awake. This was known as _Uera_, the last defense of all Nyx Warframes. It was trained into their subconscious, helping them fight things altering their will through the mind. Many a Nyx have been saved by _Uera_, making it a valuable addition to their defenses.

ALERT: -\€|]{*|^*{{**!~+]~,!,\|£|\++]

The alerts became scrambled. Unknown symbols and data flowed onto her HUD, not that she could see it of course. She was busy fighting her subconscious. Finally, she opened her eyes.

ALERT: Do you like my present? I made it especially for you.

Panic overwhelmed Nyx, and she scrambled to stand up. Suddenly, her HUD turned itself off. She couldn't see a thing. Feeling around her chest, she pressed a section and unlocked the helmet. Taking the helmet and throwing it off of her, she was greeted to the sight of a scythe. Right in front of her face, the Stalker loomed.

"Hello, Samantha. It's been a while." The Stalker grinned, and threw his weapon to the side.

"W-what do you want?" Nyx stuttered, trying to buy time as she looked for a way to escape.

"Do you not remember me? We were friends." He adopted a sad face, mocking her.

"We were friends?" Nyx could see that she might be able to outrun him. His armor looked quite heavy.

"Yes, we were friends," The Stalker replied, putting emphasis on the 'were'. "I missed you."u

Suddenly, a ball latched onto the ground next to Stalker. It fizzed with electricity.

"What the-" Stalker only managed to get that much out before he was shocked by it. Multiple times, electricity arched from the ball, making a swift streak in the air before electrocuting the Stalker. Then, he stepped toward Nyx.

"I guess I'll see you later, Sammy." He vanished.

Nyx sank to the ground, breathing heavily. Her armor was penetrated in multiple places, and she had lost a lot of blood. But still, she did not die. She looked up, at her savior.

"Damn, what happened to you, Nyx?" Excalibur grinned, and by his side stood Vauban.

Loki

She cried on the way back to base. Saryn had taken off her helmet. She was a pretty woman, with luscious black hair and emerald green eyes. But right now, her face was streaming with tears. Loki and Ember sat in silence, debating what to do. The multiple times they had tried to comfort her, she screamed for them to go away. The extraction vessel they were on was different from the usual. This one had a large room for Tenno to walk around and sit. Loki motioned for Ember to come with him to a private room. Once they were in, he closed the door, muffling the sounds of Saryn crying.

"What are we gonna do?" Loki's usual prankster demeanor disappeared.

"She's in a lot of pain right now. They were really, really close. You can't just expect her to stop mourning so soon." Ember frowned.

"I know, I know. But, she at least needs some comfort. She's just going to sit there crying the whole day, we have to cheer her up somehow." Loki motioned towards the direction of Saryn.

"Give her some space and time. Eventually, she'll come around." Ember told him.

Loki seemed indecisive, torn between his urge to make Saryn happy and the urge to listen to Ember's advice. Finally, he decided, "Alright. Fine."

Ember nodded, and then they opened the door, walking back to the sounds of grieving.

Silva

Fingers flew across the keyboard, punching in codes. Programmers on either side of her did the same, their faces trained on the computer screens, sweat beading down their faces. They were competing, seeing who could code an entire MOA's software by scratch. So far, Silva was winning. She could see her victory so close, just 10 more lines of code and the job was done.

9.

Sweat came in rivulets, streaming down her cheeks and splattering on the floor beneath. Multiple people were already collapsing, their bodies failing from the long period of time working. But Silva persisted.

8.

She glanced beside her. Mansel stood their, coding almost as fast as she was. He was good, but she was better. Can't help being better if I had a better teacher, she thought.

7.

Another woman collapsed. Silva felt sorry for her. She knew the woman, Her name was Jessica. Jessica wasn't the most skilled, but she was a hard worker. She had practiced for this competition for weeks, harder than anybody had. She was so close, yet she had collapsed from sheer exhaustion. I'll go and console her afterwards, Silva thought, after I win.

6.

This is taking too long, Silva glanced at Mansel again. His eyes were trained on the computer screen. They were bulging, as if he could not believe that he was so close.

5.

Silva could plainly see that he was 6 lines of code away from finishing. She smirked, she could beat him. As long as I keep this pace, she reasoned, there's nothing to worry about.

4.

Not much longer, she thought. Two whole days, she had stood here coding. Medics had to pipe water and nutrients straight into her system, for she would not take a break.

3.

The exhaustion was settling on her, the weight of 48 hours without sleeping wearing her down. There was not much else she could do, but hope that she wouldn't pass out before the MOA software is complete.

2.

She was so close! Silva could practically taste victory. The sweet smell of winning the competition, the look everybody gave her as she danced with glee.

1.

Mansel was close as well. He was 2 more lines away. But Silva knew she would win. She knew it. She had a better teacher. He was always good to her, kind to her. He understood Silva, he had accustomed his teachings to fit her way of learning. He was a good teacher. He would have been proud.

Done.

She held her hands up with joy. All the other programmers groaned, and collapsed to the floor, holding their head in their palms. She was so excited to claim the prize. It was unknown, but she knew from the whispers and rumors that it was good.

A bright light shown in the hallway beside her. She could faintly make out the outline of a Tenno. She wondered what they had to do with it.

"Hello," Out of the dark hallway, stepped out a man. He was clad in armor, dark and reddish, he struck an imposing figure. "You have won, have you not?"

Wordlessly, Silva nodded. She glanced nervously at his scythe, which he held with ease with his hands.

"Good." He obviously didn't speak much, as deduced by Silva.

"W-what is m-my prize?" She stammered, looking once again at his scythe.

"You are to be my apprentice. I will teach you all there is to be one." The man sheathed his scythe, to Silva's relief.

"To be what, e-exactly?" She was getting more and more nervous by the minute. Silva wasn't very certain that she wanted him to teach her anything, or to be near her, for that matter.

"To be a Stalker, of course."

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**Wow, I bet you guys were wondering what Silva had to do with anything until that last sentence. Next chapter should be up soon, and as always, reviews are greatly appreciated! :3**

**-FuryEnder**


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